Workshop: Become devilishly good at line work

Explore the intricacy and power of single colour line art as illustrator MrHass renders a key character from the Faustian legend in black ink

MrHass demonstrates the power of single colour line art, as he renders a key character from the Faustian legend in black ink.

What I love about drawing is how you can capture the imagination. It’s the thing that keeps me fascinated. My speciality is hand-drawn illustration, and in particular, the creation of line work with dip pen and black Indian ink. In this workshop I’ll show how I create my own interpretation of Mephisto, the demonic antagonist in the German legend of Faust.

The guiding forces in this artwork are the sinister overtones of what lies ahead for Johann Faust: the horror of eternal damnation in exchange for worldly gain. With Mephisto being the emissary of the Devil there’s huge scope for character design. In this case however, my preference is to show who he is rather than how he looks. Here, Mephisto reflects upon the blood-tipped quill that’s been used to consign a willing soul to Hell. His thorny fingers also hold a velum scroll, the marks written in blood that now bind Johann Faust in an unholy pact. The cape that Mephisto wears drapes over his throne, it’s brimstone surface testimony to every soul that he’s taken. His features are cast in shadow, giving a sinister edge his casual demeanour. It’s these narrative points that occupy my mind when I create the artwork.

I start with an underdrawing, on to which the line work is inked. Through this process I emphasise anything that conveys the fantasy noir atmosphere of the tale, in particular the hard lighting. Unlike digital drawing, inking with a traditional dip pen only allows the draughtsman to push forward. It’s a live take with every mark of the pen. Every nib gives a different stroke, each responding differently to pressure and speed. With practise the range of lines that can be made with a single nib is enough to create compelling line work.

Using a single ink colour distils all the focus to what’s happening in the moment. It’s a mindful process that responds to what’s happening on the page. The ink-work that impresses me is when a subject is handled with technique, rather than being laboured. What I’m striving to achieve is solidity and vitality throughout the entire picture, so the viewer can journey into the image. MrHass specialises in handdrawn illustration. His signature line work is created by dip pen and ink, a technique he’s continued to explore and refine. This gives a graphic style to his work, which typically focuses on inventive drawing. See more at http://mrhass.co.

1 Pencilling the structure

Marking lightly with an overhand grip, I map where the major elements fall on the page: gestural lines, blocks, cylinders, spheres, wedges, and in this case a few anatomical landmarks. Any compositional changes are made at this stage before moving forward. If any pencil lines need to be lifted, then I use a soft eraser to ensure that the paper isn’t distressed.

2 Lay in the figure

The blocks offer visual cues to lay in the drawing. Although good body language, anatomy and musculature are central in this piece, it’s more important to capture the main idea than perfect every single detail. To keep the paper intact I continue to work lightly with the pencil, especially when using a hard lead.

3 Light and shadow

I refine parts of the drawing, and with the light source in mind the shadow shapes can be mapped. This is an underdrawing, so the pencil values don’t matter. What does matter is deciding where to ink in full black, and how halftones and plane changes might be inked.

4 Ease in the ink

Inking with a dip pen requires precision and sensitivity. To warm up I begin on areas of the picture that aren’t critical. That means no facial details until I get into my stride. There are no golden rules with inking, but it’s always visible when an inker has found their rhythm.

5 Between the lines

Rather than following the pencil work, I interpret the underdrawing, as tracing often makes a picture lose vitality. For this reason I explore ways to improve on the original pencils, so the line work moves the image along.

6 Balance is key

As the drawing finds its shape my attention shifts to balancing the image. When solid blacks and halftone hatching are evenly measured throughout, it brings cohesion to the picture as a whole. The same goes for different line weights and textures. These are all techniques that I use to pull the image together.

7 Filling areas with black

I spot any black areas by brush, planning the route to avoid tide marks. Many inkers prefer to leave all the black fills to the end. My own preference is to add them as I work through the drawing, so I can respond to the illustration as it emerges.

8 Adjustments on the fly

With the inks in place it becomes easier to assess what might benefit the artwork. The inking usually becomes more improvised beyond this stage, so it’s good to keep in mind what the aim is, and to keep the artwork legible.

9 It’s a grey area

Good hatching that flexes around the forms can help lead the eye through a picture. As a rule of thumb, if I want to cross-hatch I avoid intersecting at 90 degrees because this can look like a wire mesh. Overlaying lines of different weights is also preferable for the same reason.

10 Taking one final pass

Before signing off the artwork, I like to take a look with fresh eyes. With so many details it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture, even when it’s right under your nose. Now I see that leaving the lower left of the picture clear doesn’t create the effect I’d hoped for. The solution doesn’t take long to appear.

11 Embrace the unexpected

As I mentioned before, visual balance is key, so when I realise that an area needs working up I let the ink dry and plan the next move. Using light pencil marks as in step one, I develop the area that needs attention. When I’m confident with the layout I go back in with ink, ensuring the line work remains consistent.